Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove wasn’t a huge hit when it arrived in theaters 25 years ago, but during that time many fans have come to the realization that it is one of Disney’s funniest and most quotable movies. It’s a bonafide cult classic that deserves a 4K Blu-ray upgrade, and Disney is happy to oblige for the anniversary – but they aren’t stopping there.
The Emperor’s New Groove 4K Blu-ray will arrive on December 9th, and pre-orders are expected to go live here on Amazon and here at Walmart in the coming days. It will also arrive on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home on that date. However, superfans will be able to enjoy the film on the big screen for the first time in decades when it plays at Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theatre between November 21-24. This is the same theater where the film premiered in December of 2000.
Interestingly, The Emperor’s New Groove is one of those rare situations where studio intervention actually led to a better film. The original version was called Kingdom of the Sun with Roger Allers as the director, and it was all but scrapped after years of production because Disney execs thought the serious tone wouldn’t play after box office disappointments like Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Director Mark Dindal took over the project and completely reinvented it as the screwball buddy comedy we know and love today. For example, the original concept for the film was loosely based on the “Prince and the Pauper” story, and involved Yzma as a sorceress who planned to destroy the sun to regain her youth. Instead we got a delightfully eccentric protagonist played by Eartha Kitt that accidentally turns Kuzco (David Spade) into a llama. We would also have had a serious sidekick character instead of the dim-witted Kronk (Patrick Warburton) who most fans consider to be the breakout star of the film.
Basically, Disney wanted to make a movie that was a departure from the formula that they had been using with films like The Lion King. Given the current state of Disney films, this is a philosophy that they might want to consider revisiting.
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